This weekend kicks off Oculus outdoor film fest

Columbia Pictures “Rent” kicks off the “Tribeca Drive-In: Dinner and a Movie on Oculus Plaza” series on June 2.

BY JACKSON CHEN

Binge on free movies and good food this summer outside a Downtown icon with “Tribeca Drive-In: Dinner and a Movie on Oculus Plaza,” which kicks off tonight.

Tribeca Film Festival and Westfield World Trade Center have teamed up to bring a new outdoor movie series of films set in New York. For the first two weekends of every month through October, people can come to the Oculus Plaza at the corner of Church and Dey Streets to watch fan favorites and classic films. Moviegoers can show up as early as 5 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Curated by the Tribeca Film Festival team, the ten movies offer a diverse range of action, animation, drama, and comedy. The films also span different time periods from 1961’s “West Side Story” (showing on August 4) to more recent releases such as the 2016 “Ghostbusters” remake (showing on August 5).

The free movie lineup kicks off this weekend with two Broadway adaptations, starting with the musical “Rent” on June 2, followed by the 2014 “Annie” remake on June 3. July will feature “Serendipity” and “Night at the Museum.” September showcases “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Enchanted,” and to close off the series, “Annie Hall” and the 2002 “Spider-Man” starring Tobey Maguire will be shown in October.

“We’ve selected some of our favorite new and classic NYC films and couldn’t think of a better setting to enjoy them together than under the stars at the iconic new Oculus Plaza,” Cara Cusumano, Tribeca Film Festival’s director of programming, said in a release.

Anyone in the “dinner” part of the program, are advised to arrive early for a limited seating area where they can order dinner from Eataly and beer and wine from Beer Table and Pure Liquid. Seating in that section the section will be first-come, first-serve,

“Of course, world-class entertainment is a huge part of the New York experience,” said Isolde Brielmaier, Westfield’s executive director of arts and culture. “And this is now the place in Lower Manhattan to enjoy superb films, music, art, culture festivals, and so much more.”